ETFE

ETFE
Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) is a fluorine-based plastic It was designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. ETFE is a polymer and its source-based name is poly(ethene-co-tetrafluoroethene). It is also known under the DuPont brand name Tefzel and is sometimes referred to as ‘Teflon Film’. ETFE has a relatively high melting temperature and excellent chemical, electrical and high-energy radiation resistance properties.
Properties
Useful comparison tables of PTFE against FEP, PFA and ETFE can be found on DuPont's website, listing the mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrical properties of each, side by side. ETFE is effectively the high-strength version of the other three in this group.
ETFE film is self-cleaning (due to its nonstick properties) and recyclable. As a film for roofing it can be stretched and still be taut if some variation in size, such as that caused by thermal expansion, were to occur. Employing heat welding, tears can be repaired with a patch or multiple sheets assembled into larger panels.
ETFE has an approximate tensile strength of 42 MPa (6100 psi), with a working temperature range of to (to or to ).
ETFE resins are agnostic to ultraviolet light. An artificial weathering test (comparable to 30 years’ exposure) produced no filtering and almost no signs of film deterioration.
ETFE systems can control light transmission through the application of plasma coatings, varnishes or printed frit patterns. Thermal and acoustic insulation can be incorporated into an ETFE structure via the use of multi-layer systems which use low-pressure air pumps to create ETFE "cushions".
Applications
ETFE was developed by DuPont in the 1970s initially as a lightweight, heat resistant film in the aerospace industry. From its development it was largely used infrequently in agricultural and architectural projects. ETFE's first large-scale use architecturally came in 2001 at the Eden Project where ETFE was selected as it can be printed and layered to control solar conditions and because it was found to have a low friction coefficient, which saves on maintenance as dust and dirt do not stick.
An example of its use is as pneumatic panels to cover the outside of the football stadium Allianz Arena or the Beijing National Aquatics Centre (a.k.a. the Water Cube of the 2008 Olympics) – the world's largest structure made of ETFE film (laminate). The panels of the Eden Project are also made from ETFE, and the Tropical Islands have a 20,000 m2 window made from this translucent material.
Another key use of ETFE is for the covering of electrical and fiber-optic wiring used in high-stress, low-fume-toxicity and high-reliability situations. Aircraft, spacecraft and motorsport wiring are primary examples. Some small cross-section wires like the wire used for the wire-wrap technique are coated with ETFE.
As a dual laminate, ETFE can be bonded with FRP as a thermoplastic liner and used in pipes, tanks, and vessels for additional corrosion protection.
ETFE is commonly used in the nuclear industry for tie or cable wraps and in the aviation and aerospace industries for wire coatings. This is because ETFE has better mechanical toughness than PTFE. In addition, ETFE exhibits a high-energy radiation resistance and can withstand moderately high temperatures for a long period.
Commercially deployed brand names of ETFE include Tefzel by DuPont, Fluon by Asahi Glass Company, Neoflon ETFE by Daikin, and Texlon by Vector Foiltec.
Due to its high temperature resistance ETFE is also used in film mode as a mold-release film. ETFE film offered by Guarniflon or Airtech International and Honeywell is used in aerospace applications such as carbon fiber pre-preg curing as a release film for molds or hot high-pressure plates.
Notable buildings
Notable buildings and designs using ETFE as a significant architectural element:
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Beijing National Aquatics Centre, (the Water Cube) Beijing, China
Eden Project, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
National Space Centre, Leicester, United Kingdom
Cuauhtémoc Stadium, Puebla, México.
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, Smethwick, Birmingham, United Kingdom
U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
SoFi Stadium. Inglewood, California, USA
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, United States
Banc of California Stadium. Los Angeles, California, United States
Avenues Phase-III, Al-Rai, Kuwait
Dworzec Tramwajowy Centrum, tram station in Łódź, Poland.
Solaris, Clamart, France
Discovery College, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Green 18, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong
Pavilion, Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, United Kingdom
BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,
River Culture Pavillon The ARC, Daegu, South Korea
Munich's municipal waste management department, Munich, Germany (2011)
Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
FestiveWalk, Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore
Dolce Vita Tejo Shopping Centre, Amadora, Lisbon, Portugal
roof, dedicated underground rail station at the Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, London, United Kingdom
Manchester Victoria station concourse, Manchester, United Kingdom
Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, Dunedin, New Zealand
Islazul Shopping Centre, Madrid, Spain
Kansas City Power & Light District, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
South Campus skylight structures, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California, United States
Tanaka Business School, London, United Kingdom
The Shed (Hudson Yards). Manhattan, New York, USA
Tropical Islands, Brandenburg, Germany
Barnsley Interchange, Barnsley, United Kingdom
The Mall Athens, Athens, Greece
Newport railway station, Newport, United Kingdom
The Elements, Livingston, United Kingdom
Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, United States
Arena Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Sandton City, Sandton, South Africa
Key West Shopping Centre, Krugersdorp, South Africa
Oceanus Casino, Macau, Special Administrative Region of China.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
ISS Building, Lancaster University
Empire City Casino, Yonkers, New York, United States
Institute of Technical Education, Singapore (2012)
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, California (12-13-14)
National Stadium, Singapore
Orto Botanico di Padova Biodiversity Garden roof, Padua, Italy
Guangzhou South Railway Station, China
Yujiapu Railway Station, China
Persian Garden, Iran Mall, Tehran, Iran
Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian, Spain
Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia (2017)
US Embassy ETFE Facade, London, UK (2017)
Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Shanghai Disneyland, China (2017)
UQ Global Change Institute Living Building, Brisbane, Australia (2013)
Lakhta Center, St. Petersburg, Russia (2019)
Haneda Airport Terminal 2, International Flight Facilities, Tokyo, Japan (2020)
Macquarie University Arts Precinct ETFE Roof, Sydney, Australia (2020)
Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (2020)
Rhodes Central Commercial Development, Sydney, Australia (2021)
Under construction
Avenues Phase IV & IVB, Al-Rai, Kuwait
Jungle Exhibit, Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas (2015), United States
West End Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Dockside Pavilion, Sydney, Australia (2014)
Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan (2015)
Australian Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia (2014)
Wharf Retail, Bluewaters Island, Dubai (2016)
Carlisle Railway Station, Carlisle, Cumbria (2017)
Oxigeno, San Francisco, Heredia Province, Costa Rica
Jakarta International Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia
Primark Birmingham, UK
Boston Logan Airport (terminal E), Boston, Massachusetts (2021-2022)
Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Walt Disney World, US (2022)
References
External links
ETFE Resins - Chemours Teflon
Building materials
Copolymers
Fluoropolymers
Plastics
Thermoplastics